Around the Region
Kenmare F.D. awarded grantGrant writing efforts by the Kenmare Volunteer Fire Department and community members paid off when the department received word last week about a $148,466 Assistance to Firefighters Grant application accepted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant was one of two applications submitted by the department in April, with the funds for this proposal applied toward safety and equipment needs.
The department's entire request was granted, including 40 sets of new turn-out gear, with coats, pants, boots and helmets, at a cost of approximately $60,800; 15 new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) at a cost of $60,000; and "Jaws of Life" extrication equipment at a cost of $30,000.
"There's also $7,000 included for training," said Chuck Leet, secretary-treasurer of the department.
The department is required to match 5 percent of the grant request, meaning the Kenmare firefighters have to come up with just over $7,800. Leet has already spoken with representatives of the Kenmare Rural Fire District, who agreed to provide half those funds. Leet anticipated the rest would be raised through fund-raising efforts and donations.
The needs of the Kenmare Fire Department were clearly apparent, with mid-1980s issue turn-out gear in current use that is disintegrating from dry-rot. Most of the department's 13 SCBAs are 20 to 30 years old, with heavy steel canisters to hold oxygen, rather than the new, lightweight carbon fiber tanks. Technology on the new models also features visible readouts in the face masks monitoring the time and pressure remaining in each firefighter's tank.
"To get 15 of those at once is a dream come true," Leet said. "What a lift. We didn't have the money at all for this, and we would have tried to make do with the old stuff that we have."
-The Kenmare News, Kenmare
Garrison phone service goes out
For a time July 28, some Garrison residents found themselves without telephone services. The outage also affected some cell phone users. Service was out for about four hours.
A Reservation Telephone Cooperative spokesperson speculated the outage could have been caused by a lightning strike.
The problem was at the main switching station in Garrison where power was lost to the main power bay that keeps the phone system operational. Thus, the power supply was diverted to batteries. A portion of that system failed and the batteries were not being charged. The spokesperson said the problem would be similar to an alternator going out on an automobile.
It took RTC troubleshooters a while to locate the problem. Once the power backup was repaired it took a while to reenergize the system.
-McLean County
Independent, Garrison
Cando residents go batty
A large swarm of approximately 30 bats has begun making its home in the yards of Cando residents, but beware, these aren't your ordinary bats.
The brightly colored pink, purple, blue and black bats are about 41 inches long. So far the bats haven't done any damage to the yards they have been taking shelter in, but local authorities were informed of the coming invasion. The bats seem to be quite at ease just sitting in yards and watching passersby stop and stare in wonder. The bats are inflatable pool toys.
The Cando Baseball and Girls Softball programs are on a mission to raise money to help support expenses they incur during the season.
"We are trying to help defer costs of equipment, field maintenance, umpires and league fees," noted Brad Miller, president of the Cando Baseball Association. "The teams didn't want to sell anything door to door and thought this would be a fun and different approach to raise money."
Once the bats have taken shelter in a yard, the home owner is greeted by a friendly note telling them what to do to exterminate the bats. The bats only ask that you pay a small fee to have them relocated to another yard in Cando. Residents can pay any amount they wish to get rid of the colorful pests.
The fund-raiser seems to be working and has been well received in the community. In just over a week since the invasion began, the programs have raised approximately $250, according to Miller.
"As long as people are still wanting to have the bats, we'll keep doing it," said Miller. "We've had a lot of help from the kids and parents with moving the bats from yard to yard."
He also added that even if the bats have taken up residence in a homeowner's yard previously, they can still strike again.
-Towner County Record Herald, Cando
Harvey gets
new surgeon
Patients needing surgical procedures now have a local option: Dr. Susanne Levene.
Heart of America Medical Center's surgeon travels from Rugby to Harvey every two weeks to perform a variety of surgeries.
"I do a little bit of everything here," Levene said.
Some of the surgeries she does include those involving the gastro-intestinal tract, appendix, gallbladder, breast, thyroid, salivary glands as well as porta-cath placements. Levene has also been trained in mammographic needle localizations as well as minor urologic procedures.
Levene is a German citizen who moved to the United States at age 8 with her dad in Omaha, Neb. She graduated high school in Omaha, and did her undergraduate schooling in Boulder, Colo. She received her medical degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Levene completed surgical training in Sacramento, Calif.
For the past two years, she's been employed at Heart of America Medical Center, and started at St. Aloisius Medical Center in June.
"I enjoy working in small communities. Rugby seemed personable and I like the community," Levene said. "I've only been in Harvey two days, but the patients have a good rapport with me, I think."
An outdoor enthusiast, Levene enjoys cross-country skiing and mountain biking.
"I ride my bike through all the fields and the cow pastures," she said, laughing.
Levene is fluent in German and English, and her father, Parviz Pour, taught her Farsi, the language spoken in Iran.
Levene and Rocky Zastupil, CEO for St. Aloisius Medical Center, are planning a slide presentation in August about colo-rectal cancer.
"I'm looking forward to meeting more of the Harvey community," Levene said.
-The Herald-Press,
Harvey
Guidelines changed
An advisory board for the Heart of America Community Service Program recently approved new guidelines relating to city or county prisoners completing community service.
The action comes following an incident in late May when a community service worker walked off a Rugby job site, stole an ATV from a farmstead several miles away, and crashed it before eventually being apprehended by law enforcement.
It was the second incident in less than a year where an unsupervised inmate doing community service left a job site.
Among the new guidelines, individuals must receive court approval of release from incarceration to complete community service.
Also, community service will be completed primarily on the grounds of the North Central Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in Rugby. If no work is available there, inmates will be allowed to work off the grounds at an approved site. Also, inmates will wear specific jail-issued clothing to identify them as a prisoner.
Dave Denich, community service program coordinator, said that way workers will be easily identified by the public and it will serve as another deterrent for inmates who might think about leaving the job site.
A community service release from jail form must also be signed by inmates prior to completing work. In addition, the coordinator will be able to suspend an inmate's community service at any time.
Despite a few recent incidents, the program has been a success since it began 13 years ago. Thousands of hours of community service have been completed in Rugby and Pierce County as well as in neighboring counties that are part of the program.
-The Pierce County Tribune, Rugby
(The Regional Roundup is compiled by Minot Daily News staff writer Dan Feldner)
